Kraftwerk Prevented From Performing in China Due to Involvement in 1998 Tibetan Freedom Concert

The Chinese Ministry of Culture has denied Kraftwerk visas necessary to perform in the country, AFP reports (via The Daily Swarm). They've allegedly prevented the band's performance in China due to the fact that, 15 years ago, Kraftwerk were scheduled to perform at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in Washington, DC. (Kraftwerk ultimately did not even play the show, due to bad weather conditions.)

The label/promoter Modern Sky attempted to book Kraftwerk for this year's Strawberry Festival. AFP writes, "China's culture ministry has a long-standing policy of refusing permission to acts who have voiced support for Tibetan independence." According to AFP, China's state-run Global Times reported that Kraftwerk could not play the festival due to unspecified "political reasons."